


the ocean in our veins

by Indigo_Penstrokes



Category: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: F/F, Mermaids, Pirates, theres some magic too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-06-14
Packaged: 2019-12-18 04:39:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18242558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Indigo_Penstrokes/pseuds/Indigo_Penstrokes
Summary: JoJo is the captain of the dreaded Midnight Revenge, she and her crew go toe to toe with the royal navy, but one day the Midnight gets hit by the biggest storm JoJo has ever seen. Buttons is a mermaid, well technically she's a quarter siren on her mother's side, but she's been fascinated by the world beyond the sea after she saves the life of one unlucky sailor during a storm. What will happen when these two worlds collide?





	1. the tempest

”Dot watch the main sail, we can't have it tearing in the wind!” JoJo screamed above the howl of the tempest that whipped about the Midnight Revenge as she tried to keep control of the ship’s wheel. The storm had blown in from seemingly nowhere, and it had blown in fast.

“On it cap.” Dot’s words were ripped from her mouth as she scaled the mast with a practiced ease even as the rain pelted her bare arms. It was a miracle she didn't slip and crash on to the deck. 

“Rafaela what's our fastest way to port?” JoJo heaved her entire body against the wheel to keep the ship upright, but the sea was working against her as it pushed and shoved against the groaning hull doing its best to capsize the vessel.

“If I could see the stars I would let you know, but as I currently can't even see five feet in front of me I can't even give you a bearing.” Her navigator bit out, her silver sextant aimed at the sky in vain. “Last I checked we were heading west and if we haven't been blow off course too much we should be alright if we head forward. I can't give you more than that Jo.” 

“By the stars above,” JoJo muttered. A blinding flash of lightning illuminated the deck, throwing the crew into stark contrast as they fought to keep the Midnight Revenge from taking on anymore water than she already had. There weren't nearly enough of them to handle the ship in a storm of this caliber, and a solid third of them were running around like headless chickens. “Rafaela take the helm I need to go help the newbies to make sure my ship doesn't sink or capsize.” 

“Aye captain.” Rafaela took the helm after she placed her sextant back around her neck, the silver shining in the flashes of light. 

JoJo leaped down from the quarterdeck already shouting orders at the scared crew. One of these days someone was going to fall overboard and drown because they were too stunned to swim.

“Adrianna pull that sail to starboard, Flora help her with that. Dell start tying the jib and the stay sail to the foremast.” She ducked beneath a swinging beam. “Dot how's the main sail coming?”

“I've got it as slack as we can stand in this wind.” The short girl called from up near the crow's nest before a strong gust of wind came roaring across the ship, throwing much of the crew to the deck. And hurling Dot from her precarious place on the mast into the violently frothing ocean.

JoJo barely made out Dot’s silhouette as she fell into the churning ocean below, a dark spot against an even darker sky. She was already stripping out of her outer layers before she heard Dot hit the water. “Gods above let her be okay and let me be able to save her,” She mumbled out the prayer and kisses the medallion around her neck before diving into the freezing water. 

The water met her like a friend turned enemy, filling her nose and mouth before she could break the surface. She coughed, the cold water burning as it left. She only had a few moments before it would pull her under and Dot would be gone with her. 

“Dot!” She screamed, swimming towards where she figured Dot landed. “Dot where are you?” 

All she heard was the pounding of the rain on the water and the crash of waves against the ship. Time seemed to slow as more water started to weigh her down. She swam fruitlessly towards nothing, fighting to keep her head above the mountain like waves. 

“Dot!” Her voice was raw from screaming and seawater, but she couldn't give up. She was a feared pirate captain and the sea couldn't kill her.

“Captain?” It was barely loud enough for JoJo to make out over the rain but it was enough for her to start kicking in the right direction. 

“Dot I'm coming.” She swallowed another mouthful of sea, as she made it to the younger sailor. Dot looked like a drowned kitten, her black hair pasted to her skull as she bobbed up and down in the rough waters. 

JoJo managed to pull them both over to the edge of the ship where the crew had thought enough in advance to send down a rope for them to grab onto. 

“Dottie I need you to grab onto this and don't let go until you're back on deck, you got that?” She wrapped the rope around Dot's middle and gave it a sharp tug when Dot nodded her understanding. 

JoJo watched as Dot made it safely back on deck and the rope came back down. She could feel the fast onset of exhaustion pulling at her consciousness, she hoped the storm didn't last much longer. But before she could grab the rope a swell the size of the Midnight Revenge broke overtop of her, pulling her down in a dizzying tumult. She opened her eyes against the stinging salt, she needed to know which way was up. But the heaving of the waves made it impossible until she was slammed against the hill of her ship. The black rushed in fast and unrelenting. 

She felt the air pushed from her lungs, little bubbles that were stolen away the moment they left her lips. The cold overtook her legs as she tried her best to keep them kicking. It wasn't much longer until that they became as useless as lead blocks. This couldn't be the end. She refused to even think that it might be, but the darkness that continued to cloud her vision begged to differ. 

Her fingers sluggishly found their way to her medallion, gripping it with all she had. She silently prayed to gods who most likely weren't listening or had already decided her fate. Her eyes finally slipped shut as the sea pulled her even further into the depths, filling up her chest.

This was the end and all JoJo could think was that maybe it didn't feel so bad after all, the bone chilling cold faded into a dull almost warmth. And it almost felt like a pair of arms held her tight around her chest, a hug like her mama used to give her. Her mama. JoJo would have started crying had she had anything left in her to cry with, the water pulled all of her energy away and she was barely holding onto her thoughts that were unraveling as she sunk deeper and deeper. 

Her eyes fluttered open yet again just before her world fell blacker than night, catching sight of a brilliant blue.


	2. the savior

Buttons loved storms. From the way they turned the sea it's darkest blue to the alone time they brought her away from her siblings. Storms had always meant peace to Buttons. She would float just below the surface, mesmerized by the pattern of the rain on the water and the flashes of lightning above it all. Sometimes she would get lucky and there would be a ship nearby and she would get to watch the sailors fight the storm just to keep their ship, it was their resilience that captivated her. It was amazing how they seemed to bend their ship to their needs, folding a sail here or moving a beam there. 

With her head above the waves she listened to their shouts and orders, the sailors moved about the ship like a shoal of fish. Maybe one day she would get to see a ship up close, not just from the sea. Maybe one day she would actually get to speak to a sailor and ask all the questions that floated about her head. She smiled to herself, Race was always telling her that her “obsession” with the sailors wasn't healthy, or that it would get her killed. She always laughed and told him he was wrong, that it was the siren blood in her veins that drew her to the ships not curiosity. Little did he know it was both, the siren in her made her realize how easy it would be to drown a sailor while the rest of her yearned to be one of them, to be up on ship and the other side of the sea.

She was lost in her reverie until a shriek pierced the air. Her eyes instantly locked onto the figure flying through the air, tracing its arc from mast of the ship to the water below. She looked on in abject horror as another body jumped in after the first. Her dazed wonderment quickly turned to bone chilling fear as it dawned on her that the ocean might be claiming two lives tonight. 

Before anyone could blink Buttons dived back beneath the surface, kicking her tail as hard as she could. The storm churned water fought against her, pushing her off her course. She let out a frustrated scream as she tried to twist against the strengthening current, she would get to those sailors even if it took all her energy. She watched as they struggled against the sea as much as she did, but it pulled and tugged at their clothes rather than trying to tear them out to open sea. 

For once she was thankful to Race for showing her how to get places fast in rough waters, tuck your fins and use your arms. She shot through the water like a marlin going towards feed. She got to the remaining sailor in record time even though it felt like she was already too late. The pirate didn't have her head above water anymore, a thin stream of bubbles escaping her mouth like a dwindling life line. Her hands were tangled in something around her neck, Buttons could just barely make out the glint of gold in the darkening sea. 

She rushed over to the drowning captain, wrapping her arms around the girl's body and pulling with all her might. “Come on, for Amphitrite’s sake you shouldn't be this heavy,” Buttons muttered to herself as she tried to pull the unconscious sailor away from the crushing hull of the ship. They'd both be dead if they got caught under it.

It took more maneuvering than Buttons would have liked, but she finally got the girl in her arms into a position where she could outswim the storm enough to where she could hopefully get air back into the drowning sailor's lungs.

“Goddess let this work.” Buttons uncorked a small vial from her belt with her teeth before dipping her fingers into the cerulean salve. Holding the limp sailor against her body she drew three lines on either side of the girl's neck with the balm, hoping and praying it did what it was made to do. Buttons watched for a few seconds in agonizing anticipation before the sailor's chest rose and the blue marks glowed faintly in the diluted light. It had worked, the girl wouldn't drown today. But she still needed to get to shore, the magic wouldn't hold forever.

Carefully she swam them both up towards the surface, Buttons needed to regain her bearings after all the tossing and turning of the storm had left her sense of direction frazzled. She broke the surface with a sigh of relief, the shore was only a few whale lengths off to their left, and the sun would be rising in an hour or two, the sky was starting to glow gray around the horizon. 

“Just a little longer,” She said more to herself than anyone else. It would be a long swim, but she could make. She had to. 

The shore never seemed to get any closer as Buttons swam as hard as she could, her now waking sailor squirming in her grip. 

“Gotta save,” The girl mumbled, her words garbled by the water. “Need to help Dottie.” 

“You did love, you did,” Buttons soothed through gritted teeth, the girl's loose clothes made it difficult to move through the water with any sense of ease. 

“Pretty.” 

Buttons looked down and was met with a pair of stunningly warm brown eyes. It took all of her willpower not to drop the sailor then and there. The girl beyond beautiful, her face flecked with sun spots and her arms were covered in the art of the sea, and Buttons would be lying if she said it didn't take her breath away. But the bigger issue was that she was awake, and awake meant movement and movement meant taking longer to get to shore. 

Buttons struggled a little longer as her sailor wrapped her arms around her savior's neck. But then an idea struck Buttons as if from the Goddess herself. Her siblings always fell asleep when she sang to them, maybe it would work on her touchy sailor as well. So she steadied herself with a breath and began to sing.

_“For the voyage is long and the winds don't blow. And it's time for us to leave her. Oh the wind was foul and the sea ran high.”_

The pirate’s eyes began to droop closed once more at the sea shanty she must have known well as her mouth moved slightly along with the lyrics. 

_“Leave her Johnny, leave her. She shipped it green and none went by. And it's time for us to leave her.”_

Not before long the girl had gone completely limp in Buttons grasp, her head lolling against the mermaid's shoulder. If she wasn't so heavy Buttons would have found it endearing, but she had more pressing things to attend to. Such as the fact that they had almost made it ashore, the rocky seabed scraped at her tail. 

As the waters grew shallower Buttons struggled to haul her sailor along with her. This resulted in her dragging herself on the beach and praying to the Goddess that no one was around to see her in such a humiliating position. Finally she managed to lay the soaking wet seafarer onto the sand beside her, the girl's limbs splayed out in nearly every direction. 

“I hope we meet again.” Buttons couldn't fight the urge to fix the girl's sea tangled hair, her hand then coming to a rest on her pale cheek. “And that you have nothing but fair seas ahead.” 

She pressed a barely there kiss to the sailor's cheek just as the sun broke the horizon painting the sky in pinks and golds.


	3. washed ashore

JoJo groaned loudly as light cut through her eyelids, she hurt all over and all she wanted to do was sleep. Everything ached down to her bones, like the seawater had seeped in and nearly dissolved them. 

“Gods above,” She grumbled as she sat up, quickly realizing that it was a bad idea as her head swam and she laid back down, waiting until the spots faded away.

Instead she decided maybe just opening her eyes would be enough. But the mid dawn sky was unrelentlessly bright and harsh, and forced them closed again as she groaned. Waves started to lap at her bare feet, reminding her where she was and how she needed to move lest the tide drown her again.

Drowning. 

That was the last thing she remembered. Jumping off the Midnight, saving Dot, and then, nothing but water in her lungs. Water and that cold helplessness that filled her from the pit of her stomach up to her throat. The memories threatened to overwhelm her, filling her lungs with imaginary water.

She pushed them away, but one stayed. It was of bright ocean blue eyes and sun warmed brown skin, it was arms around her chest and a song in her ears, it was a concerned frown and something on her neck. Something about those few details made JoJo’s heart stutter in her chest. The warm feeling quickly over powering the cold dread. 

Another wave rushed up over her feet, soaking her still damp pant leg and pulling her from her thoughts. She really needed to get up, even if it felt like she'd been run over by a runaway cart. 

Carefully she propped herself up on her elbows and tentatively cracked her eyes open. The sun had cast off it's pinky glow and was now the color of a seagull's foot, bright and obnoxiously orange. It reflected off the calm ocean right into JoJo’s sensitive eyes. 

“Do you need help?” 

The voice startled JoJo, making her reach for her sword, which was probably back on the deck of the Midnight. 

“Who's asking?” JoJo’s voice was rough from disuse and swallowing too much abrasive seawater. 

“Someone who has the means to help someone who looks to have washed ashore alone with no supplies.” The figure belonging to the voice stood in front of JoJo, drawing her gaze upwards from the water. The woman looked kind, her hair thrown into a messy updo with redish curls framing her face. 

“Even for a pirate?” JoJo stood, trying to make herself seem as swashbuckling as possible since without her sword she had no other weapons besides her wit. Hopefully she wouldn't need it.

“Especially for a pirate,” The woman gave her a kind smile with a hint of teasing behind it, which quelled some of JoJo’s anxiety, but not all of it. “Considering one of my closest friends is Captain Jack Kelly.” 

“You know Jack?” JoJo perked up at the sound of her former captain's name, if this woman knew Jack she wouldn't turn JoJo over to authorities, right?

“Why of course I know Jack, I knew Jack before the world knew Jack.” She pushed a curl out of her face, twisting it back up in her bun. 

“You're Katherine Plumber,” JoJo realized in awe, “the rebel leader wanted in nearly every colony and mainland under Royal rule.” 

Katherine's smile took on a more mischievous glint as JoJo finished her statement. Now that was the face JoJo recognized; the one that belonged to a confident leader of a world wide fight against tyranny. 

“Now who would you be if you're on first name terms with good ol’ Jack?” Katherine asked still smirking slightly.

“JoJo de la Guerra, captain of the Midnight Revenge,” JoJo mocked a deep bow, flourishing her hand. “Jack was the one who taught me how to sail and captain a ship.” 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Captain, now would you like to join Sarah and I for breakfast and maybe we could get you some cleaner clothes?” It was a question but Katherine’s tone left no room for argument as she was already walking back up the beach towards a little cottage that was the same shade as the sand and scrub around it.

Once they reached the cottage JoJo noticed that the stucco building was covered in seashells. They were in all shapes and sizes, all pressed into the cement while it must have still been soft. She also noted the small garden that was on the shore side full of vegetables and a few fruit trees that could handle the sandy soil. 

Some part of JoJo yearned for something like that, a permanent home to come back to day after day, but the larger part of her loved the freedom of the open seas. The sheer thrill she got with only her ship, her crew, and the ocean on all around her. The ocean that was the same color as those captivating blue eyes. 

Blue eyes that couldn't seem leave her heart alone.

“Are you going to come in?” Katherine was holding the door open, one of her eyebrows quirked up. 

“Yes, sorry.” JoJo shook her head, trying to shake the thoughts away. She needed to focus on getting back to her ship, if it had even made it through the storm without her. 

The thoughts of her ship being lost were quickly pushed aside as she realized the cottage was just as cozy on the inside as it looked on the outside. It was a single story and well lived in, books and other items littered the floor. The smell of something baking wafted into the entryway from the kitchen and it made JoJo’s stomach growl slightly. All of it washed over her with such a feeling of Home that it made something deep within her ache. 

“Something smells great.” JoJo blurted, as she stood there awkwardly.

“Sarah is an amazing cook, I promise no one else in any of the kingdoms or colonies makes better fig preserves than she does.”

“Darling who's there?” Another woman, presumably Sarah, called from the kitchen. 

“A pirate,” Katherine replied cheekily, hanging her over coat over a peg by the door. “She washed up on the beach after the storm, and I thought we could help.” 

“Well does she have a name?” Sarah asked as she stepped into the doorway, wiping her hands on her apron.

JoJo couldn't help the little gasp that escaped her, since, simply put, Sarah was gorgeous. Her brown hair was loose around her shoulders, the same warm shade as her eyes, and it was as smooth as the sea on a fair day. She even held herself in such a way that even in her plain day dress she seemed ethereal, a magic radiating out from her like sunshine. It made JoJo want to hang onto every word she had to say.

“Captain JoJo de la Guerra at your service,” JoJo managed to get out, bowing her head a bit.

“A pleasure to meet you JoJo,” Sarah cocked her head to one side and stared for a beat. “What’s their name?”

“Pardon?” JoJo’s awe turned to confusion faster than the tide coming in after a storm. 

“The mer who left those marks on your neck.” Sarah tapped two fingers to the side of her own neck for emphasis. “It’s been a while since I've seen mer magic, but that looks like the leftover from a water to air salve.” 

“I don't know.” JoJo put a hand up to her neck, finding nothing but her wind worn skin. No bumps or ridges, nothing that would indicate that a mark was left. “I barely remember what happened after I hit my head on the hull and passed out twice.” 

Hazy images and feelings floated hazily up through JoJo’s mind. She felt something cold on her neck as the burning in her lungs faded away. Muffled words dripping into her ears, a song she knew and loved. It was all so fuzzy she couldn't tell if any of it was real or a sea induced hallucination.

“All I know is that she saved me, and, and her eyes were the most brilliant blue I've ever seen.” JoJo didn't know when or how, but she had leaned up against a wall, her knees threatening to give out. “But I don't know what's real and what isn't.” 

Katherine and Sarah shared a knowing look that left a weird feeling in JoJo’s chest. “Let’s get you something to eat before you pass out on us, and we'll talk more.”

Dizzy and disoriented JoJo pushed herself off the wall. “Thank you but I really need to find my ship.”

Before she knew it she was out the door and stumbling down the dirt road. She needed to find the nearest port town, and hopefully her ship with it. Goddess above she hoped Rafaela hadn’t let her ship sink. But for now all she had was hope and the sight of a town on the horizon.

**Author's Note:**

> as always comments will make my day and talk to me on tumblr @ad-astra-de-luna i always love talking about these girls.


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